165 pounds i wanna be 180lbs

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  • karrysalexi
    karrysalexi Posts: 62 Member
    edited April 2015
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.
    Please refrain from giving bulking advice until you know what you are talking about. Thank you.

    I can't delete my post because I don't know how but you obviously know more than me so instead of attacking me please give him advice. I just want to help.
  • nerdygymrat9
    nerdygymrat9 Posts: 163 Member
    edited April 2015
    Options
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    I am a student I can't buy that much food that's why I try to get 2.3k

    I am a student too but if you truly want to change your body 2,300 calories is not going to cut it. As far muscle development goes your intake is only enough to keep them operating but thermodynamics is the key. Calories in calories out.

    ^ I am a college student as well and I agree that 2,300 is not enough for bulking though not that high of a number for sure. How much are you able to spend on food?
  • karrysalexi
    karrysalexi Posts: 62 Member
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    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.
  • karrysalexi
    karrysalexi Posts: 62 Member
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    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    I am a student I can't buy that much food that's why I try to get 2.3k

    I am a student too but if you truly want to change your body 2,300 calories is not going to cut it. As far muscle development goes your intake is only enough to keep them operating but thermodynamics is the key. Calories in calories out.

    ^ I am a college student as well but I agree that 2,300 is not enough for bulking. Sometimes you must get creative with what you are given and see if you can come up with some more calorie dense foods so you can hit your goals for the day.

    Finally someone who doesn't agree that eating like a mouse will get results.
  • nerdygymrat9
    nerdygymrat9 Posts: 163 Member
    edited April 2015
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    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

  • karrysalexi
    karrysalexi Posts: 62 Member
    Options
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.
  • nerdygymrat9
    nerdygymrat9 Posts: 163 Member
    Options
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    I am a student I can't buy that much food that's why I try to get 2.3k

    I am a student too but if you truly want to change your body 2,300 calories is not going to cut it. As far muscle development goes your intake is only enough to keep them operating but thermodynamics is the key. Calories in calories out.

    ^ I am a college student as well but I agree that 2,300 is not enough for bulking. Sometimes you must get creative with what you are given and see if you can come up with some more calorie dense foods so you can hit your goals for the day.

    Finally someone who doesn't agree that eating like a mouse will get results.

    Eating like a mouse? I think it is important to understand that everyone has different caloric needs. When I started about 2 months ago, I was able to gain like half of a pound a week on 2550 since my maintenance was close to 2300 as well actually and over time I increased it. Everyone is different so it's important to keep that in mind. People like MityMax, Ninerbuff, Springfield, MrM27 and several others are very knowledgeable when it comes to fitness so definitely listen to what they have to say OP (and you too Alexi). They can help you go a long way here.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Options
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.

    Sorry we came down on you hard. I think the problem is, you are a different weight and height to the OP. I trusted his maintenance was 2300, and looking at his profile pic, it could be right. You look like a different kind of size. Also, there is activity to take into consideration. I hope you stick around because the knowledge here is second to none and can save us all a lot of time and effort.

  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.

    To be honest, and especially given your age, maintaining on 3,500 calories (I am assuming its around that based on your comment) is not that unusual - I would not call you a hard gainer. Also, if you are maintaining on 3,500, the 5,000 would have you gaining too quickly to be effective. You have all the right traits (on paper) to gain muscle quickly compared to others (young male), but there is still a limit.

    Have a listen to this video (OP too) - its by Eric Helms from 3DMJ. You should watch the whole thing (actually the whole series is gold), but the bulking calories discussion starts at about the 14:10 mark.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvW6xBZjSk


    It also discusses the range people have with their maintenance calories.
  • karrysalexi
    karrysalexi Posts: 62 Member
    Options
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.

    Sorry we came down on you hard. I think the problem is, you are a different weight and height to the OP. I trusted his maintenance was 2300, and looking at his profile pic, it could be right. You look like a different kind of size. Also, there is activity to take into consideration. I hope you stick around because the knowledge here is second to none and can save us all a lot of time and effort.

    It's fine I'm here to learn.
  • hupsii
    hupsii Posts: 258 Member
    Options
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.

    To be honest, and especially given your age, maintaining on 3,500 calories (I am assuming its around that based on your comment) is not that unusual - I would not call you a hard gainer. Also, if you are maintaining on 3,500, the 5,000 would have you gaining too quickly to be effective. You have all the right traits (on paper) to gain muscle quickly compared to others (young male), but there is still a limit.

    Have a listen to this video (OP too) - its by Eric Helms from 3DMJ. You should watch the whole thing (actually the whole series is gold), but the bulking calories discussion starts at about the 14:10 mark.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvW6xBZjSk


    It also discusses the range people have with their maintenance calories.


    Question : since there is a range for maintenance calories - how do you best calculate your deficit from the top or low range ?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    hupsii wrote: »
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.

    To be honest, and especially given your age, maintaining on 3,500 calories (I am assuming its around that based on your comment) is not that unusual - I would not call you a hard gainer. Also, if you are maintaining on 3,500, the 5,000 would have you gaining too quickly to be effective. You have all the right traits (on paper) to gain muscle quickly compared to others (young male), but there is still a limit.

    Have a listen to this video (OP too) - its by Eric Helms from 3DMJ. You should watch the whole thing (actually the whole series is gold), but the bulking calories discussion starts at about the 14:10 mark.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvW6xBZjSk


    It also discusses the range people have with their maintenance calories.


    Question : since there is a range for maintenance calories - how do you best calculate your deficit from the top or low range ?

    Some of it really depends on where you are starting. Are you starting from a deficit or a surplus? Also, how active you generally are - day to day and at the gym.
  • kieranpalmer1995
    kieranpalmer1995 Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    Yeah your right
  • kieranpalmer1995
    kieranpalmer1995 Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    neaneacc wrote: »
    You can try different oils that are calorie dense (like olive oil) in your protein shakes to add more calories.
    how much ml for 300 calories or so?

  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Options
    Usually about one serving of oil will be around 100 - 130 calories.
    Check nutrition label.
  • hupsii
    hupsii Posts: 258 Member
    Options
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    hupsii wrote: »
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.

    To be honest, and especially given your age, maintaining on 3,500 calories (I am assuming its around that based on your comment) is not that unusual - I would not call you a hard gainer. Also, if you are maintaining on 3,500, the 5,000 would have you gaining too quickly to be effective. You have all the right traits (on paper) to gain muscle quickly compared to others (young male), but there is still a limit.

    Have a listen to this video (OP too) - its by Eric Helms from 3DMJ. You should watch the whole thing (actually the whole series is gold), but the bulking calories discussion starts at about the 14:10 mark.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvW6xBZjSk


    It also discusses the range people have with their maintenance calories.


    Question : since there is a range for maintenance calories - how do you best calculate your deficit from the top or low range ?

    Some of it really depends on where you are starting. Are you starting from a deficit or a surplus? Also, how active you generally are - day to day and at the gym.

    My maintenance is roughly 1900 to 2200 kcals, desk job, 3 to 4 days at the gym with cardio and strength training. Currently, I am eating at maintenance.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Options
    hupsii wrote: »
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    hupsii wrote: »
    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    collegenerd20 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    Springfield1970 wrote: »
    karrysalexi wrote: »
    kieranpalmer1995 wrote: »
    I am male 19 yrs old. 2.3k calories a day I need 500 more calories need something to add to my protein shake to help that. I am buyying serious mass in July when I can afford it. I am a student

    I consume over 4000 calories a day and weigh 162 pounds right now. What I would recommend is more than 2,300 calories. 2300 is enough for maintenance but if you want to add muscle and weight fast spike protein levels and carbs than add in healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. I also use Creatine Monohydrate to give muscles water retention. For your goal I would recommend 5,000 calories a day to get started.

    5000? You know nothing about the OP's TDEE. Men can gain approx half a pound of muscle a week, so best bet is adding 3500 extra cals on top of tdee per week or 500 per day, that will give him a pound a week gain (fat gain is unavoidable, full stop).
    If he's maintaining at 2300 per day (correct OP?) then 2800-3000 is right..


    He asked to gain weight I simply gave him a solution that has worked for me.

    Springfield is definitely someone on the forums who has a great deal of knowledge on this type of subject so her advice is definitely solid. 5,000 may work for you but your stats are different than his. If he is maintaining at around 2,300 calories he should increase by around 500 calories or 2,800 instead of more than doubling it to 5,000.

    That makes sense. I just find that it is hard to gain anything for me that doesn't have at least 3500 calories in a diet. I'm a hard gainer.

    To be honest, and especially given your age, maintaining on 3,500 calories (I am assuming its around that based on your comment) is not that unusual - I would not call you a hard gainer. Also, if you are maintaining on 3,500, the 5,000 would have you gaining too quickly to be effective. You have all the right traits (on paper) to gain muscle quickly compared to others (young male), but there is still a limit.

    Have a listen to this video (OP too) - its by Eric Helms from 3DMJ. You should watch the whole thing (actually the whole series is gold), but the bulking calories discussion starts at about the 14:10 mark.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvW6xBZjSk


    It also discusses the range people have with their maintenance calories.


    Question : since there is a range for maintenance calories - how do you best calculate your deficit from the top or low range ?

    Some of it really depends on where you are starting. Are you starting from a deficit or a surplus? Also, how active you generally are - day to day and at the gym.

    My maintenance is roughly 1900 to 2200 kcals, desk job, 3 to 4 days at the gym with cardio and strength training. Currently, I am eating at maintenance.

    You should calculate it from your actual maintenance. The range given was for those who have not been tracking in order for them estimate as they do not know it.

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